2013 Spanish Grand Prix

Caterham have been fined ?óÔÇÜ?¼10,000 (?é?ú8,460) for sending Giedo van der Garde onto the track with a loose wheel.

The team warned Van der Garde his wheel was loose after the pit stop and told him to drive back to the pits. The wheel fell off shortly afterwards.

The stewards took note of this in deciding Caterham’s fine, stating: “The team instructed the driver to drive the car back to the pits even though they were aware of the wheel not being attached correctly.”

I don’t really understand why Hulkenberg didn’t back off after being released – there was the space and time. Only once the Toro Rosso turned into its pit did they touch. Did he expect the Toro Rosso to drive past his box??

Caterham acted dangerously twice: once by failing to ensure that the wheel was properly attached in the pits, and again by instructing van der Garde to drive back to the pits rather than pull over immediately. We see it far too often in F1 that drivers try and get heavily damaged cars back to the pits rather than retiring on the spot, and one day it will end in tears. It should be dealt with much more harshly than it currently is.